SDC Directing Initiative

ELIGIBILITY

Participants must be bona fide students at the time of the regional festival, prepare a scene from the list below, submit their materials by the deadline, and must be registered for the KCACTF Region 1 Conference.

→ENTRY PROCESS

Step 1: Submit a Program Inquiry Form 

  • Students must submit a program inquiry form. To allow you ample time to prepare your materials, we recommend submitting your inquiry form no later than December 12th, 2025.

Step 2: Select your scene!

Step 3: Prepare Your Scene! 

  • Prior to the Festival, student directors work with student actors from their school to rehearse and prepare their scene for presentation at the Regional Festival. All participants must be registered for the Festival.

Logistics and Technical Information for your scene:

  • The only furniture items permitted and provided will be one table and two chairs.
  • Any hand props or costumes required for the scene must be provided by the director. The regional host and coordinators will not be able to provide props or costumes for the scenes.
  • Costumes may be used (but are not required).
  • Please note that there is no technical support in the way of lighting and sound.
  • The festival will provide a stage manager from the regional event. Directors should come prepared with a script for the regional stage manager.
  • Directors will be allowed a maximum of five minutes to set up for their scene.
  • There will be a five-minute break between scenes for set-up, with a ten-minute break after every fourth scene.
  • Scenes may not be cut, edited, or altered in any way.

Step 4: Submit Your Director’s Materials by January 16, 2026 

  • Visit the 2026 SDC Initiative Program Guidelines for a detailed description of the Submission Requirements.
  • It is important to note that no material should include any information that identifies the school you attend. Although none of the respondents are associated with any of the participating institutions, we ask that you omit this information to maintain equity, fairness, and impartiality.
  • Students will submit the following :
  1. Resume (Optional)
    • Submit resume that focuses on your experience and training as a director (PDF). Please note – The submission of a resume is completely OPTIONAL.
  2. Statement of Interest addressing your interest in the SDC Directing Initiative and what you hope to achieve and learn through involvement in the process. (PDF)
  3. Director’s Book (Director’s Book)– see below for details. (PDF)

There are three elements to your Director’s Materials: 1.) The Director’s Statement, 2.) Play Analysis, and 3.) Spectacle/Design.

Director’s Statement

This statement provides what could be described as “the world of the play,” This is where the director’s vision and concept for the scene and the play as a whole can be explored. This statement may contain the personal, analytical, and intuitive framework for the scene. It is a combination of script analysis, research, creativity, and personal connection to the text. The statement should address the themes, images, and specific lines of text that guide the director’s work. What about the play speaks to you and why are you the artist to do this play? What world are you looking to bring onto the stage and why is this the scene to best explore the ideas and themes you are looking to explore.

Simply put, “Why this play? Why now?”
approximately 500-750 words, no more than 1000 words.

Play Analysis

Identification: List title of play, name of author, and include any highlights of relevant research or dramaturgical work that informed your
process.

Given Circumstances: Briefly describe any significant previous action that occurs before the scene begins. What are the facts of the play that serve as the foundation of the scene, aka, the Given Circumstances.

Major event(s) of the scene: Describe or list the events or the actions that take place within the scene you are presenting. This is not notation of your blocking, but rather a list of actions that you have observed and recorded from the text you are working on. (example: Edna wants Joe to join the striking cab drivers but Joe is afraid).

Character Breakdown: List the characters and provide a character description for each character in the scene. This would be something that we might see in a casting notice of the character but with more intricate details about them

Spectacle / Design:

This is for you to use all your creativity to reflect the heart and soul of the piece and to further support and reflect your deep analysis of the whole play. List a series of imagistic words that capture your aesthetic sense of the scene’s look and “feel” of the play. These words might include colors, textures, ornamentation, relevant metaphoric images, light, and shadow, composition, degree of detail, etc. You could also include images, song lyrics, or anything which will help you express your connection with the play. Imagine this section as a mood/inspiration board for the “world of the play.” This is not an actual design, but the world and feeling you could convey to a design team.

Submissions must include the three items above, and are due no later than 11:59 PM on January 16th, 2025.

Please note that all written material should be submitted as a PDF, and that it will be shared with the SDC respondents

Step 5: Present your scene at Festival!

  • Throughout the festival, SDC students will attend workshops with seasoned directors and work with them to help the students clarify their concepts, expand their skill set, and learn to better communicate with actors and designers. 

Questions or concerns: 

Please email the Region 1 SDC Directing Team at: Region1.Directing@gmail.com

Sarah Matczak Ploskina, Chair – SDC Directing Initiative
Jay Are Adams, Vice Chair, SDC Directing Initiative